I’ve been building the Universal Open Textbook Initiative (https://uotinitiative.org) for the past year to solve a problem I kept running into: high-quality open educational resources exist, but they’re scattered across the internet and almost entirely in English.
What it is: A repository of 79 open textbooks in 5 languages (English, Arabic, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Polish), covering Kindergarten through Master’s level. Everything is Creative Commons licensed or similar, no account needed. More textbooks and translations in the works.
How it works: I curate the highest quality open textbooks from sources like MIT, TU Delft, OpenStax, and CK-12. For original translations, I use DeepL Pro with human review by native speakers. Each textbook page clearly indicates whether it’s human-translated or machine-translated.
Why I built this: When you’re a homeschooling parent in the Middle East, a teacher in rural Africa, or running an NGO in South America, finding quality textbooks in your language is difficult. This platform makes world-class educational content accessible to anyone, anywhere.
What’s next: I’m developing an AI-enhanced learning layer where students can select any textbook and get personalized diagnostic quizzes, lessons, and practice exercises generated in real time in their native language.
What I’m looking for:
Feedback on the platform and approach;
Volunteers to review machine translations (especially if you’re a native speaker of our supported languages);
Ideas for reaching educational institutions and NGOs who could benefit from this
Happy to answer any questions.
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45911259
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Source: uotinitiative.org
